Scot Lane Council School, Newtown, Wigan

Wigan’s New Council Schools, ASSESSOR'S AWARD - We understand that the assessor, Mr, J. W. Simpson, FRIBA, of London, whose services had been engaged to decide upon the merits of the various designs sent in by local architects for the new Council Schools at Beech Hill and Scot Lane, Newtown, for which there were five and seven plans respectively, has made his awards as follows:—Beech Hill School, 1st, Messrs. J. B. and W. Thoruley; 2nd, Messrs. Heaton, Ralph, and Heaton. Scot Lane, 1st, Mr. H. D. Holland, Pemberton; 2nd, Messrs, Prescott and Bold. These awards are subject to confirmation by the Education Committee. [Wigan Examiner 5 March 1910 page 5]

SCOT LANE COUNCIL SCHOOL.  FOUNDATION STONE LAID TO-DAY - The foundation stone of the Scot Lane Council School was laid today; the ceremony being performed by the Mayoress of Wigan (Mrs. Sam Wood). The school consists of three departments: Senior Mixed Department. Junior Mixed Department and Handicraft Department. The buildings are so arranged on the site as to give playgrounds of a maximum size and suitable shape. Separate playgrounds are provided for boys and girls, and infants, and portions of the playgrounds are covered.  In the Senior Mixed Department there is to be accommodation for 350 boys and girls, with separate entrances from their respective playgrounds. It contains on the ground floor a central hall, seven classrooms, boys’ and girls' cloakrooms, drying rooms for cloaks, and lavatories; assistant masters' and mistresses’ rooms and lavatories; and on the first floor headmasters’ room. lavatory, and bookstore. The Junior Mixed Department has accommodation for 300, with separate entrances for boys and girls as in the Senior Department.  It contains on ground floor a central hall, six classrooms, one of which is intended for babies, boys', girls’, and babies’ cloakrooms, drying rooms. and lavatories. On the first floor are the head teacher's room, lavatory, and bookstore, and assistant teachers’ room and lavatory. The Handicraft Department consists of a manual instruction room for 30 benches, with store and cloakroom on the ground floor, entered from the boys' playground. On the first floor are the cookery room (for 18), with scullery, laundry room (for 18) stores and cloakroom. The first floor is reached by a staircase from the girls’ playground.

The buildings are being erected of local bricks faced outside with Accrington bricks and with dadoes of glazed bricks to all principal rooms and corridors. The external stonework is of Rainhill stone. The floors of the principal rooms will be laid with maple blocks on concrete, and the buildings will be warmed throughout by low pressure hot water, the heating chamber being under the Handicraft, block. Mr. H. D. Holland. of Messrs. Unwin and Holland, Library Street is the architect, and the Clerk of W, is Mr. A. France. The contractors are Messrs. A. Bywater and Sons, and the subcontractors as follows: —Masons: Messrs. Webster and Winstanley; plasterers: Messrs Higham and Son; plumbers: Messrs Farrimond and Glover. [Wigan Examiner - Thursday 27 July 1911 page 2]